Why Was Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Closed?

In March 2022, a new attraction opened at the Epcot area of Walt Disney World in Florida. Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser offered an interactive experience that took guests out of the real world and into a galaxy far, far away. Everything about the hotel was tailor-made for "Star Wars" fans, from the decor and characters to the interactive adventure that played out across the property as if guests were truly inside the "Star Wars" universe.

Unfortunately, the hotel didn't last long, and by September 2023, Disney decided to close Galactic Starcruiser. This resulted in a huge financial loss for Disney, as the company built the structure and outfitted it just as the studio might for a "Star Wars" film. The reason the hotel closed is the same reason you see a lot of businesses shut their doors: money. 

Specifically, the cost of staying in the hotel was astronomically high. That limited the clientele to a select few, as there weren't many families who could afford to drop around $6,000 for a two-night stay. That also didn't incude the price of things like alcoholic beverages, not to mention the expense of flying to Orlando. Staying at any resort isn't inexpensive, and Galactic Starcruiser quickly became too costly to operate, so Disney shut the doors. Here's what happened and what pushed Disney execs to pull the plug.

Getting the opportunity to dive into the "Star Wars" franchise is certainly enticing to fans, and Galactic Starcruiser was touted as the ultimate fan experience. Highly rated by franchise aficionados initially, the interactive experience enjoyed high guest satisfaction numbers, and earned a Thea Award as an outstanding achievement in themed entertainment.

But it's not beyond Disney World to sneakily get you to spend more money, and that was part of the problem with the hotel. If you wanted a room on the Starcruiser for a family of four, you'd have to drop around $6,000 for the experience, with food and other expenses amounting to a total cost of between $8,200 and $9,500 — which is far too expensive for most families. Part of the problem was that the hotel only had 100 rooms, which is on the low end for a comparable resort hotel. There was also the airfare you'd have to spend if you flew into Orlando, though those rates were constantly changing. 

To compare, a three-night Disney Cruise for a family of four cost around $2,500 in 2022, though this too can fluctuate. Meanwhile, it's estimated that a family of four vacationing in Disney World in 2025 would spend between $2,200 and $3,500 just to go to the park for a weekend stay. That's an average cost for a typical visit to the entire resort — and it's still dwarfed by a stay at Galactic Starcruiser.

Although fans initially enjoyed their time at Galactic Starcruiser, criticisms of the attraction began to emerge. One YouTuber named Jenny Nicholson was unimpressed, famously recording a four-hour YouTube video in which she derided the hotel's quality and concluded that it was more of a failed experiment than anything else. Another complaint related to the fact that the hotel experience was designed to be all-encompassing, limiting the need to leave and visit the other parks. This effectively kept guests inside, so while they could save money by not visiting any Disney parks, this restricted their vacation to just the one experience.

That one experience was also problematic because there really was only one. Guests could return, but they'd be treated to the exact same shows and interactions. This issue and the high cost of entry greatly reduced repeat business. For the people who could afford to drop thousands on a two-night stay at a hotel, they had no reason to return. Without repeat business and a high sticker price, the hotel was doomed. Disney wrote off the loss, amounting to $300 million and killed the hotel. Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser was a rare failure for the franchise, and Disney has since been converting the space into Imagineering offices.